Actually, �Famous people born in Wessex�
would be a more suitable title for this page.
An accident of birth does not automatically
create a loyalty to a place. For example, the
actor Anthony Head (Giles in
Buffy the Vampire Slayer) was born in
London, but moved to Wessex out of love for
the region, whereas Julie Burchill left her
native Bristol at the earliest opportunity,
and rarely misses an opportunity to disparage
her home town. I would say that Head is far
more deserving of being called a Famous
Wessaxen than Burchill. However, birthplaces
are far easier to research than attitudes
towards a place, so Burchill is in and Head is
out. The only exception is the First Doctor
himself, William Hartnell, who always listed
his birthplace as Seaton in Devon, but was
later found to have been born in London. His
desire to be a Wessaxen went above and beyond
the call of duty, so I have posthumously
granted him his wish (sort of).
The following list has two sources: the Biographies section of the Internet Movie Database (whose reach extends beyond the movie industry� those who have appeared as themselves in newsreels and documentaries, and authors whose works have been filmed, are also included) and the Birthplaces of Famous People pages of the Readers Digest Atlas of the British Isles. I also added Sir Francis Drake myself as he was noticeable by his absence. Please report any other errors and omissions at the e-mail address below.
Two groups of people deserve to be mentioned en
masse. The first is the Royal Family, which
claims descent from the House of Wessex, and
many of whose members throughout history have
been born in Windsor Castle. Slightly closer to
our own era, it would be too time-consuming to
list the practitioners of the so-called �Bristol
Sound� (e.g. Massive Attack, Portishead)
individually. If you are interested, I recommend
Phil Johnson�s excellent book
Straight Outa Bristol.Having got all that
out of the way, let�s start the list with Caroline Munro Actress & Bond Girl (1950-) -
Windsor |
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Sir Winston Churchill, Prime Minister (1874-1965) - Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire |
The Wessaxens came here for a visit 1513 years ago and
liked it so much they have stayed.
THE WESSEX HALL OF FAME
It is hoped that we may be able to open an
actual Wessex Hall of Fame in Chard,
Somerset in 2010. Whilst not on the scale of
the
Walhalla in Bavaria
it will commemorate the lives of famous
Wessaxens. We would appreciate any
assistance from the living listed below, or
relatives of the deceased. We are hoping to
collect possesions, and or writings of those
enrolled in the Hall. So if you know any of
those listed or have anyinformation please
contact
cerdic@wessex.me.uk
Underlined Names are Click throughs to information on
them
It's Official Somerset Girl Comes down Fastest :
Amy Williams
from Bath
wins the Olympic Gold Medal in the Skeleton event
at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.
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 The Walhalla, Hall of Fame and Honour is a hall of
fame located on the Danube River 10 km from
Regensburg, in Bavaria, Germany.It was the idea of 20 year old crown prince Ludwig I of Bavaria in 1807, at a time when German states were defeated and occupied by Napoleon. It should provide a place for the commemoration of great figures and events from Ethnic German history, covering (then) 1800 years, with the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in the year 9 marking the beginning. Even though the Valhalla of Norse mythology is the home for those slain gloriously in battle, the Walhalla was intended not only for warriors but also for scientists, writers, clerics, and expressedly for females also. Decades before the German Empire was founded in 1871, 'German' was taken in the sense of Germanic, since Gothic, Langobardic, Anglo-Saxon and Swiss German figures are included, as well as persons who gained their fame mainly in other countries or for non-German governments. For the coronation of king Ludwig I of Bavaria in 1825, already 60 busts were finished. In 1826 he commissioned the temple above the Danube near Regensburg, modelled after the Parthenon in Athens. On the Walhalla's inauguration on 18 October 1842, there were 96 busts, plus 64 plaques for those persons or events of which no portrait was available to model a sculpture after. As of German tongue was the main criterion for the original 160 persons representing 1800 years, the king included persons from modern-day Sweden, Austria, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Russia, Switzerland and the Baltic States in his selection. As successor to the King, the government of Bavaria decides on additions. Proposals can be made by anybody, but only persons who are dead for at least 20 years are eligible. Only 31 busts were added since on an irregular basis, for a total of 191 of which 12 are female.
The following Anglo-Saxons are included:
Alfred the Great - first King of England Egbert of Wessex (-839), considered the first de facto King of England, grandfather of Alfred the Great Plus: Wilhelm III. of Orange � King of England, Scotland, and Ireland My name is Nick Xylas, and I was chairman of Wessex Society from 1999 to 2003, when I moved to South Carolina, USA in order to marry my American sweetheart. But I have not forgotten my roots, and so I decided to produce a website dedicated to the region that I was born and raised in. However I have now donated my writings for the www.wessex.me.uk website. This page is one of the pages that I compiled. The page is under construction as it is hoped to put both pictures and click throughs to other websites ( for full details about each Wessaxen listed). |
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